John Webber and Brandon Lipp saw flames coming from the Marina Bay area as they drove to work, and they joked about the possibility of the fire coming from the pontoon they have docked there.

They aren't joking anymore.

"We thought it was going to be some of those condos down there," Lipp said as he sat on a dock at Marina Bay on Thursday morning. "All I have to say is, 'I'm not breaking the news to Mom.'"

Webber, who is Lipp's stepfather, said they got a call that it was their boat, which they've had since 2003 when it was 1 year old, on fire on the dock.

"My heart just kind of stopped," Webber said.

Mandan Fire Chief Steve Nardello said the fire was called in at around 9 a.m. Firefighters planned to pull the scorched remains of the boat out of the water so they could take a closer look at what could have caused the blaze.

"It seems accidental at this point," the chief said. "We'll know more after we look at it."

The fire also caused slight damage to a neighboring boat, Nardello said. That boat had slight burns on its sides and on a tarp.

Webber said he was out on the pontoon until 2:30 a.m. Thursday. He said he didn't know what could have started the fire. The only electrical appliances on the boat were what it came equipped with when it was purchased, such as a stereo.

Webber said he's disappointed about the loss of his toy, but the pontoon was fully insured.

"We'll get another one," he said. "We're not going to wait."